Moluccan Cockatoo?

[tunes]

You people do NOT know Peggy! She can swear in full, grammatically correct paragraphs, very creatively. When I'm around she tries to control herself, but it doesn't always work!

She says that with a LOT of love - can you tell? :hug2:

 

[alli713]

:hilarious:


You guys are great. I can't wait for the next chin show you all are at

 

[3CsMommy]

The worst bird I've ever heard, trained (once again) by a Brit: Rude Ruby the Swearing Parrot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t1MRk-H8eI

DO NOT CLICK if you can't stand watching/hearing a parrot use the F word, the C word, and the T word some people don't like. I'd make sure the kids/other pets that can talk are out of the room too. (I've got no problem with swearing personally, and gods know I do it enough, but I know birds can be harder to rehome when their dialogue gets... colorful.) What floors me is that she, too, understands context, like her reply when he says, "...Stop swearing and speaking French".

 

[alli713]

I love how birds can talk, it's very fascinating. When I worked with Leo (the green winged Macaw) it was always interesting to hear him say things. Of course he was pretty young still so didn't have a big vocabulary. He loved Hello and sometimes he would snicker, it was so funny.

Then my bosses African Grey could say a lot of things. The funniest thing she did though would be when she hears the telephone ring she says "Hello!" then makes this soft sound like someone talking on the other line, and then will say other sentences like shes having a conversation.

Then at work we also had a magpie, he was very interesting as well. He could say "Hi" "Good boy!" "Good Morning!" (which was his favorite) but we were also trying to teach him to say Hi in other languages. The funniest thing would be when he would quack like a duck. He had a cd playing of various other bird sounds and there was a duck on there so he learned to quack like a duck. It was interesting to me that a wild animal like a magpie can learn to talk as well.

 

[Chinniechantel]

I feel better knowing it has happened to others! Lol, and will try to teach him some cute words. But yesterday, I said...yo dawg, whats up? Thinking it may get him talking like someone mentioned. And he started talking and talking, I have no clue what he said, it sounded....ghetto is the best word, please don't take offense. Like talking on the radio in between songs. I could understand a few words, but not many. He likes rap too! He dances and fluffs up his feathers and gets super excited.

Man do they steal your hearts I love this bird. I never ever thought a bird could be so cuddly! It makes me think twice before eating chicken...

I bought him a playgym playtop thing with grapevine and stuff, really nice...and he HATES it. Will not go anywhere near it, if I put it on the ground he flys around it, if on top of the cage, he will sit on the door or as far away as he can get. He does not even like it on his cage. What could it be? Could it smell like other birds from the pet store? Should I put it in the sun and let it bake for a few days? Spray it with vinegar and clean it? I can't return it, and it is so nice! I thought he would love it, he loves everything else! What a picky bird!

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Anyway, we have a vet app. on wed to just get a wellness check, a DNA sexing just to make sure he is in fact a he, a chlamydia test (haha!), 2 fecal exams for parasites and something else, and a micro chip. Are we missing anything? One vet mentioned a shot while another knew nothing of it. I am not having him around other birds and we only have chins and hedgehogs, so I don't know if we need shots or not. I like to go to the vet prepared though.

The only shot I can think of is for polyoma. That's a complete waste of time since he's a pet, and it's pretty much a baby disease, unless you had an Eclectus, or Caique which can get it at any age.
About the only other main disease I'd test for is PBFD. This is one that cockatoos and african greys are prone too. It's nothing you can catch, but it is one you should know if he has or not.
As for grooming I myself don't have my guys' beaks done, but have the wings and nails done about 2-3 times a year.
He is adorable and congrats! As for potty mouths yeah, been there done that one! Amazing what kind of households our birds came from before us! At least it makes me feel more normal??:tease:

 

[alli713]

I bought him a playgym playtop thing with grapevine and stuff, really nice...and he HATES it. Will not go anywhere near it, if I put it on the ground he flys around it, if on top of the cage, he will sit on the door or as far away as he can get. He does not even like it on his cage. What could it be? Could it smell like other birds from the pet store? Should I put it in the sun and let it bake for a few days? Spray it with vinegar and clean it? I can't return it, and it is so nice! I thought he would love it, he loves everything else! What a picky bird!

Perhaps he just doesn't know what to think of it. Some birds are more shy about new things, and perhaps this is just one thing he's uncertain of. I would just continue to leave it in sight so he gets used to the sight of it and he may eventually get used to it and then want to go on it.

 

[Chinniechantel]

One more question...has anyone neutered or spayed a bird? Do they do better with company? I am tempted to get another one but don't want babies or anything like that and see a female rescue in my area that needs a home and she is willing to hold her for me until I decide for sure. I would wait a few more months to make sure, but I read that they like company, but that they also can get very very loud with a friend, but the noise is not a big concern to us. It is the same type of bird, and comes with papers and everything she just does not have time. I can go meet the bird and she will take her back if they don't end up getting along, but I don't really mind getting 2 cages anyway, or a huge one we can split in half the high way. The problem with aviaries is they are usually pretty weak built and I need a very strong one...too bad FN's don't attach together sideways!

I don't want to get another if he will be really jealous though, and throw fits. What do you guys think? :hmm:

 

[tunes]

He'll learn to like the playtop Chantel. Give him time. Spariky HATES anything new. A new toy, a new branch. He freaks out and won't go in his cage. Give him a couple days and he settles right down.

I, personally, would not rush out to get another bird. This is your first time with big birds, and you haven't had him (?) for a week yet. He hasn't even hit his terrible two's, and let me tell you, their personality can change drastically. You may have more than you can handle with just him, let alone with a rescue bird that never comes without issues. I know the temptation is there to get another one (and then another one, and another one). Been there, done that. But working full-time, having the chins, and having three kids (even with me working at home) is a challenge. It's also a lot to ask whoever you decide to leave them to. I stuck with just Sparky because I didn't want to put more than that on the person who would take over his care after I died.

Also, just like any other animal, yes he could easily be jealous of the other bird. My sister had two cockatoos, a moluccan and a goffin and they hated each other from the moment she got them. One of them turned into a vicious biter because of it. I mean, almost took my BIL's finger off kinda biter. Strangers couldn't even go in the room with her after that or she'd go nuts. The moluccan went the other way. She turned into a horrible plucker and an extremely nervous bird.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Thank you Peggy, I need a slap in the face or something. I can imagine how stressful it would be for the bird if they did not like one another, so I will wait. Terrible two's that is funny! They are so much like toddlers I can bet they do though!

 

[Jenn]

If you can spend a lot of time with your bird, then they don't need another with them. If a bird spends hours alone, then they need another bird for company. But you haven't had this bird long enough to really know if you would want a second one. It takes time to really learn and understand them. Then you can make the decision as to whether you want/need another bird. Remember, too, to think of vet costs. I have a tiel, very small compared to yours, and she suffered a prolapse which cost hundreds of dollars. Just like chins, vet visits for birds are not cheap. Two birds is a whole lot more $$! Also, you want to keep track of how much you need to buy food and how often he goes through toys...then double it for two birds. Just give your too as much time to be with you as you are able, and he should be fine as a solo bird.

 

[apangburn]

Cockatoos take alot of dedication. They have the mental capacity of up to a 5 year old. If these birds don't get the attention the need they can get aggressive and also will start to pluck themselves. They need to be stimulated at all times with toys and human interaction. I work with a bird rescue and she has very quiet cockatoos and then she has really loud ones.